Up to 10 percent can't see 3D video

CNET reporter Rafe Needleman points out one of the problems with the 3D stereoscopic technology that is conquering movie theatres and now even home television sets. He's one of the many people who are unable to process stereoscopic imagery due to an eye condition. It's estimated that 4 to 10 percent of the population suffer from the issue, but in most cases it is treatable.

From the optometrist's perspective, the inability to process stereoscopic imagery is, for many people, a treatable condition. Dr. Brad Habermehl, president of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development, told me, "You don't have to be a 3D refugee if you get to the root of the problem. The majority of stereo-blind people really can be helped."

Habermehl says that there are methods to teach people to see in 3D. Using graduated methods and physical aids (lenses) as "training wheels," he says, people can eventually learn how to "point both eyes to focus on the same space." It's like riding a bike. Once you learn, the training wheels come off and you can't imagine not doing it. "Vision is definitely learned," he says. "That's what vision training is."